Vivid revelations in police shootings ignite fury

Vivid, egregious new facts about two police-shooting cases in capital cities are reigniting community fury in Sacramento, Calif., and Baton Rouge, La.

The big picture: In each case, officer bodycam footage revealed details of the shootings that in past eras would have gone unknown.

In Sacramento, Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man in his grandmother's backyard, "was shot six times in the back and eight times total, ... according to a private autopsy released ... by his family's legal team." (Sacramento Bee)

"The shooting has prompted a series of protests, ... as activists that include members of Black Lives Matter Sacramento have shut down roadways and blocked people from entering Sacramento Kings [basketball] games." (San Francisco Chronicle)

Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul called the video "shocking to the conscience."

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry had announcedTuesday that the officers would not face state criminal charges.

Why it matters:Joanna C. Schwartz, a vice dean at UCLA School of Law who has written scholarly papers about police misconduct, tells me:

"[T]hese killings have been going on for a long time, and there is ... a rise and fall in public attention to these tragedies. Approximately three people have been killed by police every day this year."

"There are 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the country, and there is virtually no regulation or oversight of police violence."

"Change has to happen department by department."

"Massive public attention is key. These issues were in the spotlight of several years, then have fallen by the wayside. This week may matter because bringing and sustaining public attention is a key ingredient for change."

In Sacramento, "Clark, 22, was killed March 18 after Sacramento police received reports of a car burglar," per the Bee:

"Two officers followed Clark into the backyard of his grandparents' home, where they ordered him to show his hands. One officer is heard saying 'gun' before the officers fired 20 shots at Clark, according to body camera video."